Woman killed in officer-involved shooting near Willits after high-speed chase

A woman was shot and killed in an officer-involved shooting near Willits Tuesday, following a high-speed stolen car chase.

No officers were injured in the shooting, and Highway 101 was closed to both directions of traffic to preserve scene evidence and is expected to remain closed for several hours.

At 9:25 a.m. Feb. 13, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an armed robbery of a Chevrolet Camaro from Thurston Auto Plaza located at 2800 N. State St. in Ukiah. A woman allegedly stole the Camaro and was last seen traveling at a high rate of speed north on Highway 101 toward Calpella.

A short time later, a Mendocino County deputy sheriff saw the Camaro speeding northbound on Highway 101 near the Cal Fire Howard Forest station a few miles south of Willits.

The deputy attempted to stop the Camaro but was unsuccessful. A pursuit ensued at speeds over 100 MPH onto the Highway 101 bypass.

Additional Mendocino County deputies joined the chase with assistance from officers from the Willits Police Department. A short time later, the Camaro crashed along the roadside of Highway 101 at mile post marker 49.10 north of the bypass.

The woman allegedly got out of the Camaro holding a handgun and confronted the pursuing deputy sheriffs and police officers.

A shooting ensued, and the woman died at the scene. Investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office were summoned to the scene and will be the lead investigative agency.

The California Highway Patrol’s dispatch in Ukiah advised of an extended road closure northbound of Highway 101 at mile marker 42 in the Willits area and asked drivers to use an alternate route: West Highway 20 to North Highway 1.